Wong Yinn Long

Picture credit: Andrew Ooi

When one plays in the annual Penang heritage city international open tournament, the ultimate aim for an aspiring player is to progress to sitting on the stage, a privilege which is only available to a few select participants every round. The number will depend on the organisers. Some years, there may be six players or eight, if there are three or four tables laid out, but for this year there are only four players.

In the sixth round this year, local boy Wong Yinn Long found himself seated across from the top seeded Vitaly Sivuk, a grandmaster from Ukraine. Sivuk had arrived from Johor Bahru when he had already won the Johor open just days earlier and in Penang, he was a favourite to win as well.

Picture credit; Andrew Ooi

But then he was paired with Wong Yinn Long. Playing through the game, I was quite impressed with the way that Wong had dismantled the grandmaster. He dominated the position, quietly pressured his opponent, won a crucial pawn and ultimately then pressed home his advantage. But then Wong, although only 17 years old, is not exactly a green horn in chess. He also a Fide master and a former national champion too (he won it in 2017).

Whether he can keep up the momentum and take his success against Sivuk to a logical conclusion at the Penang open, that is, by winning the event, remains to be seen. But by playing on top board and then winning against a tournament favourite, that is already an achievement. It must mean something both to him and the Penang Chess Association that has backed him up in the last few years.

[LATEST: The boy achieved his first International master norm from this tournament. Although the title is still far, far away and there are still two more norms and a rating requirement to fulfil, it means that he has the potential to progress further in playing chess.]

[Event "11th Penang Heritage City International Chess Open 2019 (Open Category)"]
[Site "Red Rock Hotel"]
[Date "2019.12.12"]
[Round "6"]
[Board "1"]
[White "Wong, Yinn Long"]
[Black "Sivuk, Vitaly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2298"]
[BlackElo "2588"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2019.12.09"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "MAS"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 a6 3.f4 e6 4.g3 d5 5.d3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.Nf3 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Ne5 Nd4 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 exd5 12.Be3 Nf5 13.Bf2 f6 14.Nf3 b6 15.c3 Kh8 16.d4 Rb8 17.h3 c4 18.Nd2 Bb7 19.g4 Nh6 20.f5 Bd6 21.Qf3 Qc7 22.Rfe1 Nf7 23.h4 b5 24.a3 a5 25.Re2 Rfd8 26.Rae1 h6 27.Nf1 b4 28.axb4 axb4 29.Bg3 Rbc8 30.Bxd6 Nxd6 31.Ng3 Re8 32.g5 bxc3 33.bxc3 Rxe2 34.Rxe2 Ne4 35.Nxe4 dxe4 36.Qg4 Ra8 37.Bxe4 Bxe4 38.Rxe4 Ra1+ 39.Kg2 Qb7 40.Qf3 Ra2+ 41.Kg3 Qd7 42.g6 Kg8 43.Re2 Ra5 44.Qb7 (see diagram) 44...Qd6+ 45.Kg2 1-0